Second Fiddles
by Victoria to Worthing
Summary: Will and Elizabeth's decision had more consequences than they could foresee... a MYSTERY pairing (no OC), though Will and Elizabeth are together. CHAPTER 2 ADDED!
1. An Unwelcome Surprise

Author's note: Hey, y'all! Yes, it is I, the maniac Jack/Anamaria writer, turning to other avenues of POTC fiction! Dun-dun-DUN! 

I don't have an OC (well, I might have to have a few minor ones, but no MAIN OC)! Instead, I took a very small part in the movie and made her a star, and took a poor under-appreciated supporting actor type and made him leading man, whoo! It will be fun, I hope. Lots of fluff-ish hints at first. Please review! I love reviews! ^_^ Thank you! *bows and exits the stage*

*runs back on* Oh yes! Estrella is the maid! I saw her name on imdb.com. Just so you know! *runs off again*

Chapter One: An Unwelcome Surprise

Estrella was already unhappy that afternoon; this was made plain by her over-vigorous scrubbing of the dishes and her relish in slamming them down as she prepared the tea. She'd been in a mood all week, in fact, ever since she first heard the rumors (which were unfortunately confirmed) that Elizabeth Swann had jilted Norrington and was set to marry Will Turner as soon as possible. 

"Some people just get _everything, _don't they?" Estrella grumbled, slapping a saucer onto the tray she was preparing. She was referencing Elizabeth, having conveniently forgotten that the young lady in question had been almost slain by bloodthirsty pirates, and remembering instead Miss Swann's excessive wardrobe and coveted young escort. 

Coveted, to be specific, by Estrella herself, who'd set her cap for Will Turner from the moment she saw him. She'd just started working in the governor's house, and he stopped by with a delivery of horseshoes from the blacksmith, a rather scrawny fourteen-year-old at the time. He'd smiled and nodded to her, and her pre-adolescent heart had fluttered. But it been made abundantly clear over the years that Will's heart fluttered only for Elizabeth, who put up a front of ladylike indifference which had given Estrella a little hope.

But now the last hope was crushed, and to top it all off, someone was knocking at the door, ten minutes before the guests for tea were expected.

Ever since the demise of the butler, Estrella was expected to answer the door (not a very reassuring task, after the things she'd seen during the pirate attack), so she hastily assembled the tea tray and rushed out to the front hall at a rather dangerous speed, considering her heavy burden of fine china.

She dumped the tray on the front table and swung the heavy front door open, hoping she didn't look too deranged after her mad dash.

It was Norrington, looking stiff and proper and overly punctual as always. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, sir." She curtsied in a rather bored manner. "Follow me, please, sir." She snatched up the tray and led him up to the parlor where the Governor usually received visitors. Will and Elizabeth, who'd annoyingly traipsed before her very eyes just a few hours earlier, were presumably in Elizabeth's private sitting room, engaging in some form of courting activities that she didn't want to know about.

When she opened the parlor door, she received a nasty surprise. Will and Elizabeth, instead of being in the sitting room as expected, were perched on the settee by the window, kissing rather passionately. She shrieked and stopped dead in her tracks, the interrupted pair jumped and pulled apart, and Norrington, not expecting her sudden halt, crashed into her, sending the dishes clattering to the floor. They flew into pieces, and she shrieked again, kneeling down to scoop the shards together and try to stop the hot tea stain from spreading.

"Wait, be careful!" Norrington cried, leaning down as well, but his warning was too late. An angry sliver of teacup had already cut the palm of her hand, and her attempts to clean up proved in vain, as she only added to the mess with her bleeding hand.

Will and Elizabeth had leapt up off the couch and were cautiously attempting to remedy the chaos as well. Norrington grabbed Estrella's gushing hand. "Here, let me see." She was startled by how soft his touch was; she'd danced with Will at a tavern once, and his hands were rough and callused. Before she knew what was happening, Norrington whipped an impossibly white handkerchief out of his pocket and began wrapping it around the cut. To her annoyance, she felt tears welling up in her eyes. The wound didn't hurt much, but the surprise that had indirectly caused it had. 

She sniffled, hoping no one would notice her distress, but Norrington, who was still cradling her hand, apparently had. "Are you all right?" 

She nodded, sniffing back more sobs and sounding, she decided, like a snuffling pig. Norrington was staring at her with concern, which surprised her, as she'd always considered him to be about as sympathetic and emotional as a block of wood.

"I need… to get… a cloth," she choked out, yanking her hand out of his and running out of the room and toward the kitchen as fast as possible. Once she'd reached the kitchen (fortunately empty of the cook, who had gone to market before dinner), she let herself go to pieces. 

It was one thing to see Will and Elizabeth walking around and exchanging adoring glances, and quite another to walk in on them practically mauling each other. Despite her belief that her last hope had been crushed, she apparently still had some little scrap of optimism that had just died, as well. 

She covered her face with her hands, getting a noseful of a peculiar scent that lingered on Norrington's now-crimson handkerchief. It smelled kind of good, actually. She flipped her hand over and pressed the unstained side of the cloth to her nose. _Very _good.

For some reason, she felt kind of comforted, and after splashing a little water on her face, she felt adequate to the miserable task of going back to the parlor. She carried a pile of cloths up with her, and set to work cleaning up the mess the instant she entered the parlor, not wanting to look up at any of the people who had just witnessed her less-than-composed behavior.

When she had at last sopped up the tea and gathered the broken glass on the tray, she was forced to glance upward at least for a moment. Will and Elizabeth had retired to the settee again, and Norrington stood uncomfortably a few feet away. She looked up just in time to see his profile as he watched the pair; his face was an odd mixture of annoyance and deep sadness.

_I wonder if I look like that when I see them, _she though, realizing that he must have felt some of the same things she did when they stumbled in upon the scene. It had been plain, despite his rather wooden disposition, that he'd had deep feelings for Elizabeth.

Norrington looked at her just then, but instead of being embarrassed that he'd caught her staring, she gave him an encouraging smile. _Poor thing, we both got thrown over, I'd say, _she thought maternally, and he smiled back and gave her a little nod. She wondered if he knew the real reason she'd been crying; she pondered this for a moment, and decided that even if he did, she didn't mind. Surely he'd understand, perhaps better than anyone!

A/N: Well, what do you think? Tell me, and I'll work on the next chapter if anyone wants it!


	2. Strange Sympathy

Author's note: It's the day after Thanksgiving, and I'm DETERMINED to write this and put it up today! I must humbly implore anyone who is reading this and has read my Jack/Anamaria series (or would _like_ to read such a series!) to read and review the (possibly) last bit of it, called "A Friendly Wager." I only have one review so far; I guess I picked a bad time to update! I hope y'all enjoy this new chapter, because I think it's going to be very fun to write!

Disclaimer: Same as Chapter 1.

Chapter Two: Strange Sympathy

Unkind as it sounded, Estrella was always a little grateful when the cook had one of her headaches. She'd have to go lie down in her room, and Estrella would get sent to market in her place. The market, of course, was in the center of town, and conveniently close to Will's smithy. 

After she had finished her shopping, she found that she had a bit of money left over, so she bought herself a large apple before wandering toward Mr. Brown's establishment. She nibbled the fruit as slowly as possible, trying to make it last longer, and she still had most of it left by the time she reached the smithy door.

"Hullo, Will!" she called out, after peeking in to see that his employer was absent and Will was diligently working alone, as usual.

"Morning, Strella," he answered, turning his head to smile at her but continuing to pound the sword he was working on into shape.

Estrella walked over to greet the donkey, who was still a little skittish after the pirate encounters in the shop. She stroked the animal's ears, and it nuzzled her affectionately. _If only Will was this easy to win over_, she smiled to herself.

She sneaked up behind the object of her longing and peered over his shoulder. "Who're you making that for?" 

"Some dull merchant fellow. Don't stand so close, little one." He pushed gently on her arm, and she stepped back obediently, torn between annoyance that he still thought her "little" and happiness that he at least cared enough to not want her burned.

__

I am _little compared to Elizabeth,_ she thought with annoyance. Her mistress was several inches taller and two years older, and also slender and rich on top of all of that. As soon as these thoughts crowded into her mind, Estrella tried to push them out again. She liked her employer very much and always felt guilty when she let her jealousy over Will run too rampant.

The amiable blacksmith was still working quietly, so she looked around for something to amuse herself. Choosing a rather dangerous diversion, she pulled a sword off one of the racks. She was a little surprised by how heavy it was, but once she was accustomed to the weight she began swinging it around cheerfully, aiming at imaginary enemies.

__

This is fun, she thought mischievously, pointing the blade at a spot in midair. Cheered by Will's very presence, some of the dark mood that had been bothering her was vanishing.

The donkey, alarmed by her strange actions, gave a nervous bray. Will glanced over to see what was wrong, turned back to his hearth, then did a double take. "Estrella! Careful, that's _sharp!_"

"Oh, really? I thought this blade was made of gilt-paper!" she answered sarcastically, widening her eyes in mock innocence and brandishing the sword at him.

Will rolled his eyes. "Do you have a death wish today?"

__

Only if I have to leave you, she thought. "Don't be a coward!" she said.

"Oh, you're in for it now, rascal!" Will said, sensitive as any man in regards to his courage. He grabbed a sword off a shelf nearby. "I've defeated a pirate in this shop!"

"Really? I heard that Mr. Brown did it!" Estrella chuckled. Will had told her the pirate story already, and the undue credit given to his slovenly master still irked him quite a bit.

"Agh!" Will cried, slicing at the air between them. Surprised, Estrella swung her sword out and blocked the path of his blade. 

The steel crashed together menacingly, and Will raised his eyebrows. "Getting cocky now, aren't we?" He swung his sword in a circle, shaking off Estrella's weapon.

Their play-fight continued, with Will naturally taking the upper hand. He slowly backed Estrella into a corner, finally knocking the sword out of her hand. Estrella squealed when she got a closer view of the fiercely sharp weapon her opponent still wielded.

"Touché!" she squeaked. Will grinned at her discomposure, but thankfully put down his sword.

"I'm glad you don't aspire to be a pirate, Strella. I'm not sure you'd make it!"

"Hmmph!" she grumbled. 

"Don't be a sore loser," Will teased, poking his defeated challenger in the ribs. 

Estrella giggled, apparently inspiring her friend to a new sort of attack. "Ah, I remember your weakness!" he crowed, beginning to tickle her.

"No! Stop, stop!" she gasped, laughing helplessly. He didn't listen to her pleas, apparently too resolute on getting revenge for her earlier insults.

"Take back what you said about Mr. Brown beating the pirate!"

"Yes! Fine! You beat him! Hahaha, stop it, Will!" 

"What's that you said? Couldn't hear you!"

"YOU BEAT THE PIRATE!"

"You're bloody right, I did!" Will said, giving her a final poke but ceasing the attack. He burst out laughing, and Estrella had to lean against the wall to keep from falling over with mirth.

"Excuse me, Turner, is your shop open for business or are you. otherwise occupied?"

Estrella and Will jumped and turned toward the door, where Commodore Norrington stood, looking very dignified and mildly amused at the goings-on he had been silently witnessing.

"Oh! Commodore! Yes, it's open. I was just being. distracted. Very sorry," Will sputtered, walking back to the hearth as quickly as possible after shooting Estrella a dirty look. "What do you need, sir?" Will was usually a little standoffish to the commodore, but being caught in such ridiculous behavior during working hours had embarrassed him into a respectful tone and even a diffident smile.

"My horse threw her shoe. It will only take a few minutes to fix."

"Of course, sir."

Estrella had grabbed up her market basket and begun sneaking toward the door, but Will called out, "Strella, come hold the mare's head while I work." She meekly obeyed, trying hard to avoid Norrington's gaze. First he saw her dropping dishes and sobbing like a fool, and now he had witnessed her playing and screaming like a raucous, immature brat. _He must think I'm completely unhinged._ She stared down at the ground.

~*~*~

Despite Estrella's certainty that Norrington was reproaching her in his thoughts as he tried to catch her eye, the commodore was really thinking something quite different. He remembered the little maid's discomposure at the Swann house. He had thought that her tears then seemed too numerous to have been caused by the small cut on her hand, and he saw that her reaction to the sight of Will and Elizabeth's affection was more vehement than would be expected for mere surprise. He'd wondered at her extreme undoing, until he realized that his own heart ached at the tender scene he unwillingly witnessed, and the idea came to him that her tears sprang from the same well that his anguish flowed from. 

Truth be told, he had chosen to marry Elizabeth because of the advantages that would come from such an action. After this rational decision, however, he had come to love her as he saw more of the beauty and spirit she'd developed in the time since he'd sailed with her on the ship to the Caribbean. She'd been a scrawny, scatterbrained child then, but she grew into a clever and lovely, though still too strong-willed, woman. He had let himself love her, seeing how well it would fit into his neatly planned life, and then all the plans had gone awry and left him without order and still without happiness. Even when he had loved her, he had doubted in his heart that Elizabeth would ever love him. His expectations in that area had been met and exceeded, as he had also received public embarrassment and loss of pride after the broken engagement.

__

So it's true that having a broken heart makes you wiser, he thought with a sad smile. He had never noticed a thing the Swanns' maid did before, but his own sadness had made him recognize hers in the drawing room, and then when he watched her joking and laughing with Will Turner, he saw the pure affection glowing from her plain face. He saw her bids for attention and her longing to be close to the young blacksmith, and as he stood silent in the doorway and watched their foolish play, he knew he would have chased after Elizabeth's attention just the same way if he hadn't been so proud. He had tried to win it with his accomplishments, after all. 

Now the maid stood holding his horse's bridle and shooting nervous sideways glances toward him as he studied her face. It was funny that the first person he saw with his newly sensitive eyes was a person that he had never given a second thought to before. Clearly his heartache had humbled him, too.

"You want an apple, love?" the maid cooed to his mare, Ivy. She produced a slightly eaten one from her apron pocket and offered it to the horse.

Young Turner worked in silence, and the maid was whispering endearments to Ivy, trying to distract her from the blacksmith's task.

"What's your name?" Norrington suddenly asked, startling everyone including himself and the mare.

"Me?" Estrella replied, too surprised to add a "sir" as she should have.

"Yes." Norrington gulped.

"Estrella. sir!" she replied, remembering this time.

"Ah. 'Star'?"

"Yes, sir." She smiled at the recognition of her name's meaning, then hastily looked back down at the ground.

"Pretty."

"Thank you, sir." She smiled again, but kept her eyes on the horse instead of its master.

"Has your hand gotten better?"

"My what? Oh, yes, sir, much." _Oh, no, he' s thinking about what happened last week, _she thought with dread.

Before she knew what was happening, the commodore reached out and tipped her hand toward him so he could see the line that was still slightly visible on her plump, callused palm. "Ah, I see," he said lamely, quickly releasing her hand as he saw her startled face.

__

The poor girl looks scared to death of me, he thought, realizing with a tiny stab of regret that the kinship he felt toward her was most likely from his side only.

__

Oh, why did he have to mention that_? He must think I'm either a silly child or an unbalanced fool, _Estrella thought, still mortified by the dramatic mood swings the naval officer had seen her accomplish. She peeked over her shoulder at him. 

__

She's very young, he thought suddenly, realizing that the girl was even younger than Elizabeth and still had a childish roundness to her face.

__

He's so tall! Estrella thought, receiving an impression of sturdy dignity that made her feel quite inconsequential. _And looks very smart in his uniform, _some mischievous voice inside her added, but she silenced this impulse by glancing over at Will, who was looking adorably diligent as he finished up the horseshoe.

__

I wonder if the commodore still loves Elizabeth, she queried suddenly, her thoughts turning uncontrollably back to the personified cause of her discomfort.

__

I can see that she loves Turner very much, Norrington thought, as he saw the gentle face turn toward the younger man. 

Without knowing why the other did it, Estrella and Norrington gave each other a sympathetic smile, then hastily looked into the fire as though nothing had happened at all.

A/N: Dang, this is long! But at least I'm done and can post it, whew! Please tell me what you think! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed!

I must implore again-please read my poor story "A Friendly Wager"! The site somehow deleted the summary so it didn't show up and hardly anyone read it! So if you have time, I'd greatly appreciate it! It's just a one-shot, though it's part of a series! 


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